50 Examples of Propaganda

Propaganda is a manipulative attempt to influence a large audience. Propaganda is spread by communication that may include speeches, writing, visual symbols and media such film. It can also be spread by word of mouth and social media. The following are common examples of propaganda techniques.

Ad Hominem Attacking an opponent’s character instead of their argument.	Appeal to Authority Referencing an expert or institution in order to try to give your message authority and status.
Appeal to Common Sense Suggesting that your position is obvious to everyone with any common sense.	Appeal to Ignorance Arguing that something is true because it can’t be proven untrue.
Appeal to Patriotism Suggesting that disagreeing with a policy means that you are against your country.	Apples & Oranges Comparing things that aren’t comparable.
Association Fallacy Associating two things that aren’t actually associated. For example, associating opposition to government policy with a conspiracy theory in order to discredit criticism.	Bait and Switch Selling ideas with a rational argument that anyone could accept but then attaching controversial positions to this acceptance.
Black-and-White Thinking Neglect of nuance and grey areas.	Card Stacking Presenting only one side of a contentious argument, a hallmark of media or journalism that is propaganda.
Demagoguery Arousing the prejudices of the masses.	Demonization Portraying the other side as fundamentally bad.
Disinformation Spreading false information.	Doublespeak Language that avoids the true meaning of a concept.
Dumbing Down Presenting complex situations in overly simplistic ways.	Euphemism Using mild words in a way that has harsh meaning.
Exaggeration Magnifying the truth to the point that it becomes untrue.	False Analogy Invalid comparisons that are designed to mislead.
False Dichotomy Pretending there are only two choices when in fact there are many. For example, “you are either with us or against us.”	False Equivalence Pretending that two things are the same when they are very different.
False Relatability Faking the mannerisms of the working class or middle class when you are in fact a member of an elite and don’t normally speak in this way.	Fearmongering Creating fear to have people accept things they wouldn’t otherwise accept.
Glittering Generalities Positive but vague slogans.	Guilt by Association Associating someone with a negative stereotype or membership in order to attack their character.
Hasty Generalization Drawing conclusions based on limited evidence.	If-By-Whiskey Taking both sides of a controversial issue.
Labeling Applying negative labels to the positions of the opposition.	Loaded Language Language designed to invoke stereotypes or an emotional response.
Loaded Question A question that contains an unjustified assumption or accusation. If you answer the question, it looks as if you have accepted the assumption.	Lying by Omission Leaving out important facts that completely change a story.
Misdirection Distracting people from big issues by using trivial issues that are nonetheless contentious.	Misleading Statistics Invalid data or invalid interpretations of valid data.
Moral Panic Exaggerated fear and concern over an issue. This may be leveraged or created by propaganda.	Not Even Wrong A completely illogical argument that is difficult to refute.
Obfuscation Trying to confuse the facts.	Passive Deception Not revealing facts that are completely relevant because they don’t support your case.
Rationalization Finding logical excuses for something that is unacceptable.	Red Herring An unrelated argument designed to distract.
Reification Treating an abstract concept as if it were a concrete and unambiguous thing.	Repetition Repeating messages over and over again in hopes that people will internalize them.
Scapegoating Blaming some group for all problems.	Slippery Slope Arguing that some small step will produce a landslide of change.
Slippery Words Using language that implies things without saying them directly. A form of passive aggressive speech.	Straw Man Argument Attacking an argument that your opponent never made.
Thought-terminating Cliche Using cliche truisms in place of thought.	Useful Idiot A person who spreads propaganda that is against their own best interests.
Virtue Signaling Hollow support for popular causes designed to impress others.	Weasel Words Using an anonymous authority such as “science”, “the experts agree” or “everyone knows” without any actual evidence.
Whataboutism Lazily suggesting that a wrong is fine because something else is also wrong.	Whispering Campaign Spreading rumors.

Overview: Propaganda
Type	Influencing Politics
Definition	A manipulative attempt to influence a large audience.
Related Concepts	Influencing » Influence » Communication » Media » Word Of Mouth » Labeling »

50 Examples of Propaganda

Propaganda

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